LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Researchers at UCLA announced Thursday that they are looking for 10,000 COVID-19 patients who are not hospitalized to participate in a study into the best methods to treat the virus at home.
The United COVID Survivor Study will examine whether various over-the-counter medications and other home health practices help, hurt or make no difference.
The first part of the study involves a 10-minute online survey for people who have had COVID-19 but have since tested negative or recovered, while the other portion of the study is aimed at people who currently have COVID-19 and are managing the disease at home.
Participants will be asked to download a free mobile app, available through Apple's App Store and then answer questions in English or Spanish each day about their illness and what they are doing to get better.
"There has been so much variation in this disease, in what patients do and in how patients get better," said UCLA biological anthropologist Daniel Fessler. "Our goal is to find ways to help patients recovering at home."
The project will donate $1,000 each to 10 randomly selected hospitals in participants' ZIP codes where people with severe cases of COVID-19 are being treated.
"Participating in the study can immediately help some hospitals to care for patients with severe coronavirus cases, and we hope that, with our participants' help, we can find answers that will help others recovering from more mild cases at home," Fessler added.
The study is being conducted by researchers from UCLA, UC Merced and the University of Illinois.